Canada jobs rise by 26,200 in August, unemployment increases to 7 per cent

Public sector adds 57,000 positions

Canada's economy added a higher-than-expected 26,200 jobs in August and the jobless rate rose to seven per cent, as more people entered the labour force, data from Statistics Canada showed on Friday.

The public sector increased by 57,000 positions due to an increase in public administration, while the private sector gained a minor 8,300 jobs.

The unemployment rate rose to seven percent in August from 6.9 per cent in the previous month.

August 2016 July 2016

Jobs gain/loss +26,200 -31,200

full-time +52,200 -71,400

part-time -26,000 +40,200

Unemployment rate 7.0 pct 6.9 pct

Participation 65.5 pct 65.4 pct

Labor force 19.410 mln 19.368 mln

August 2016 August 2015 Pct change

Avg hourly wage C$26.61 C$26.19 +1.6

Analysts surveyed by Reuters had expected the economy to gain 15,000 jobs in August and for the unemployment rate to remain at 6.9 per cent.

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